4th Annual Native American Writer Accelerator Grant Announces Recipients
The Native American Media Alliance announced the recipients of the 4th Annual Native American Writer Accelerator Grant. With support from Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity, the organization launched the Native American Writer Accelerator Grant for fellows from their highly successful writers programs.
"The Native American Accelerator Grant continues to be a powerful platform for empowering Native American writers.” Announced Ian Skorodin, Director of Strategy of the Native American Media Alliance. “We're honored to support this talented group of individuals who are making a significant impact on their communities and beyond."
Created to give new opportunities to Native American writers, the Native American Writer Accelerator Grant provides $10,000 grants and professional support that include live script reads and writer room experience to help recipients develop their craft and bolster their writing careers. In its fourth year, the Native American Writer Accelerator Grant awards 12 Native American writers from the Native American Media Alliance writers programs.
The Native American Writer Accelerator Grant is also designed to encourage Native American writers to expand on their current opportunities. According to the Writers Guild of America's Inclusion Report, Native American writers represent only 1% of working television writers. This fund addresses this challenge as past recipients have been able to develop their craft to become staff writers on current series and produce their own creative material.
The collaboration with Netflix on the Native American Writer Accelerator Grant is part of Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity, a dedicated effort to help train creatives for job opportunities on Netflix productions and set talent up for success in entertainment. Since its launch in 2021, Netflix has partnered with over 80 organizations in more than 35 countries.
Recipients of the Native American Writer Accelerator Grant:
Kris Crenwelge (Choctaw), most recently a staff writer on the CBS action-adventure spy comedy True Lies, was a fellow in the 2023 Native American Showrunner Program, the 2022 Disney Writing Program, and previously wrote on Spirit Rangers (Netflix), nominated for seven Children’s and Family Emmys. An instructor for the 2024 Native Media Apprenticeship Program, Kris was in the Women in Film Mentoring Program; an essayist for O, the Oprah Magazine; and her book, Growing Up With Granny: A Survivor’s Guide, won Roadmap’s Write Start Manuscript Competition. Kris, who had a previous career in sports, earned her master’s degree from Ohio University and worked in communications for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Houston Rockets. Upon moving to Los Angeles, Kris launched her firm, Sports Publication Design, which produced branded content for more than 20 clients in the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, and NCAA. Kris is currently writing on an upcoming educational docuseries about the history of Native Californians. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their much-loved rescue pup, Linus.
Rory Crittenden / ᎤᎵᏍᎦᏂ is a screenwriter, filmmaker, and documentarian from the Peavine community of the Cherokee Nation. He has won six Heartland Regional Emmys for his past work directing and producing nonfiction content for the Cherokee Nation. In 2022, Rory became one of the recipients of Firelight Media’s SPARK Fund. His western television pilot Goingsnake was a quarter-finalist in the 2022 Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest, and he was a finalist in the Almanack Screenwriters 2023 October Colony with his horror screenplay Blood Red and Goin’ Down. He has participated in multiple filmmaking labs by the Native American Media Alliance, including the Native American Writers Seminar, Native American Feature Film Writers Lab, and the Native American Unscripted Workshop Rory is a Cherokee history nerd and a pro-wrasslin' enthusiast. He makes his living as a freelance filmmaker, helping to craft media for various Indigenous governments, television programs, and community organizations. He lives in Tulsa with his wife Christy, and their two children.
Heidi-Marie Ferren is an award-winning Cherokee/Sioux-Polish-American writer, producer, actor and singer/songwriter who recently wrote on the hit Shonda Rhimes ABC show, Station 19. Heidi is a 2023 Disney/ABC Fellowship recipient and her original pilots and features have garnered awards and recognition from over three dozen film festivals worldwide. Heidi recently served under Showrunner/Creator, Jim O’Doherty (Third Rock From the Sun, Grounded for Life) developing two comedy pilots. She was a finalist for the prestigious Josephson Entertainment Fellowship and winner in Screenwriting at the Beverly Hills Film Festival for her pilot about the New York City Carpenters Union. In addition to her work in film and television, Heidi serves Service Members and Veterans as the last and longest reigning Miss USO, performing and speaking across the globe in over 1,000 venues, and before 4 U.S. Presidents. As a former foster youth and survivor of homelessness and assault, she has also passionately dedicated herself to helping young people use their story for good. She is currently a Court Appointed Advocate (CASA) for foster youth and an advocate in the fight to end human trafficking and combat the epidemic of violence against Indigenous women throughout Canada, the United States, and Latin America.
Khadijah Iman (Nipmuc) is a Black Indigenous screenwriter from Boston, MA. She realized her knack for entertaining and touching hearts after writing and performing a short story at her grandmother’s funeral when she was nine years old. She went on to receive a BFA in Creative Writing for Entertainment from Full Sail University and a TV Writing Certificate from UCLA Extension. A proud volunteer and member of the LA Skins Fest (Native American Media Alliance) community for nearly a decade, Khadijah is a recipient of their 2024 Native American Writers Accelerator Grant and was a fellow in a wide range of the organization’s prestigious programs, including the TV Writers Lab, TV Writers Boot Camp, and Feature Writers Lab. Based in Los Angeles, Khadijah is a 2023 Writers’ Access Support Staff Training Program alum, a self taught piano and drum player, and obsessed with Horror and classic Disney Channel Original Movies. She’s passionate about telling queer-led stories in the genre, procedural, and drama space - often exploring grief, identity, and social issues. In the land of podcasting, Khadijah hosts “Let’s Talk About It! with Khadijah Iman” where she interviews entertainment industry professionals about how they overcome mental health challenges, racism, and more.
Marcie Price Jackson (Cherokee) is a writer, artist, and root beer float enthusiast from Oklahoma City. She is of Cherokee, Scottish, and English descent, and is proud to be an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation. Marcie was a 2023 Native American Media Alliance Writers Seminar Fellow. Her screenplays Number Two Pencils and Plus One were named “Best Feature Screenplay” at the Austin Revolution Film Festival, and Plus One, co-written with Kathy Hoyt Lee, was a “Second Rounder” at the Austin Film Festival. Marcie was selected as one of twelve screenwriters statewide to participate in the 2016 deadCENTER Film Festival Screenwriting Intensive, and she’s been named to the Austin Revolution Film Fest Hall of Fame. She has been involved in the independent film communities in Oklahoma and Texas for 15 years in roles ranging from featured actress to assistant director. Her role as Omaha in Outsiders Productions’ web series Rough Cut earned her a Best Female Supporting Actor award at the 2017 Red Dirt Film Festival. In addition to screenwriting, Marcie also writes novels for teens and adults, and she writes and illustrates comics. As a neurodivergent and chronically ill writer, she wants to focus on funny, moving, female-driven stories with indigenous, neurodivergent and complex characters in a modern way.
Noah Rose Keeling (Choctaw). Born and raised in Boulder City, Nevada, Noah Rose Keeling is an LA-based actress-turned-screenwriter, a proud trans woman, and a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. In 2022, she graduated with her MFA in Acting from UC San Diego and sold a family drama pilot to Lionsgate Television with Bob Greenblatt producing. She is currently represented by Gersh and The Arlook Group.
Tony Magaña (Western Shoshone, Chilula, and Mexican-American) is a Reno, Nevada-born filmmaker, writer, and every-once-in-awhile Stand-Up comedian currently residing in Las Vegas. After a very brief stint in computer science at UC Santa Cruz, Tony’s attention turned to Film Studies where he found his passion for storytelling. He enjoyed working on friends’ films as an actor, DP, and producer. Tony moved to Los Angeles in 2019 to work in the Film industry initially as an assistant, but is now focusing on writing and directing. He has also graduated from Santa Monica College’s Film Production & Studies program where he gained invaluable onset experience set-dressing their upcoming film, Alive. Currently, Tony is in pre-production on his short film HOOP$, in post on the short-doc HOME, and outlining a feature about his family’s history. His writing gives insight into small-town life in Nevada, from reservation life to its surrounding border towns, balancing the socially conscious with humor, painful truths, and tears. In his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball, guitar, drawing comics, performing stand-up, and cooking up family recipes. Tony looks forward to honing his TV writing craft in NAMA’s 9th Annual TV Writer’s Lab alongside other funny and talented Native writers.
Richard Montes (Chichimeca), born and raised in Los Angeles, CA is a writer and director. He is a FOX Writers Incubator 2023 fellow and NAMA Feature Film Writers Lab fellow. Richard’s films include: Pass The Mic, a documentary on the contributions of Latinos to hip-hop which screened at the American Film Institute’s Music Documentary Series; and Aguruphobia, a comedy feature satire, which had a limited theatrical release. He formed Safada Y Sano Productions with writing and filmmaking partner Jade Puga. The two have developed with major studios and production companies for film, scripted and unscripted television. Their historical drama was in the top 10% of the 2022 Nicholl Fellowship.
Matthew Rochester (Cherokee) is a Native American writer and member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Born and raised in the Smoky Mountains, he comes from humble beginnings, seeing the trials and tribulations of drug abuse, domestic violence, and fanatic religion. Rising through, Matthew now holds a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing and Film Studies from UNCW, studied film in the Czech Republic, and obtained a Masters Degree in Screenwriting from Chapman University. He was a fellow in the 3rd Annual Native American Feature Film Writers Lab and Native American Showrunner's Program. He has written several episodes for Michael Greyeyes upcoming indigenous horror podcast. Currently, Matthew is developing a television series with Wattpad Studios based off one of their published properties, and in addition, adapting a comic book to series with comic book legend Todd McFarlane.
Faith Phillips (Cherokee) is a novelist, screenwriter, and producer living in the Ozark foothills. After trying her hand at waitressing, tele-marketing, bingo ball pulling, and lawyering, Phillips left active law practice to author four books and multiple feature screenplays. She created the sub-genre known as Okie Noir, a scion of southern goth and magical realism. Faith’s third book, Now I Lay Me Down, was selected by HULU and Stanley Nelson’s Firelight Films for limited series development through the Kindling Fund initiative. Phillips is the creator, writer, and executive producer of the national docu-series The Girl Scout Murders, set in the Cherokee Nation. Current projects include Missing & Murdered, an unscripted series designed to help solve #MMIR cold cases, and the scripted crime noir thriller, Mankiller Shell. The author lives with her family on the Cherokee reservation, where Okie Noir stories spark her fiery passion for the written word. When she’s not writing screenplays, Phillips travels the national speaking circuit telling stories about teaching, writing, and producing in Indian Country. In addition to writing for the screen, Faith launched the non-profit initiative, Beyond the Trail, where she and fellow activists are building a vibrant arts and cultural district in their community.
Tamara Stratton (Osage) is fairly new to television writing; although, she has been a storyteller and educator most of her life. She received a BA and MA in Drama and has experience producing, acting, writing, and teaching. As an actress, she has performance experiences that range from Shakespeare to Modern Japanese Theater to Neil Simon to performance art and film. Tamara’s first pilot, Retirement Plan, had a staged reading in November at Robot Eating Robot: Friday Reader’s Club in Chicago. She has been a member of The Engine Writer’s Workshop, a Los Angeles based writing group, for over a year. In that time, Tamara has developed and written four episodes of an original limited run series concept entitled Retirement Plan and continues to develop other writing projects in various stages of completion. Tamara is a proud member of the Osage Nation (Gray Horse Clan) and grew up in Oklahoma. She has lived on both sides of the country and currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, two kids and a saucy dog she rescued off a ramp to the I-5.
Steven Tallas (Navajo) is an Award-Winning Filmmaker known for his debut feature film, 2020's Rez Dogs. Growing up, Steven wanted nothing more than to see someone like himself starring in the movies he enjoyed most. With his penchant for storytelling and love of cinema, it’s no surprise that he found his calling in filmmaking. He began creating films as a teenager, learning from online resources and his experiences as an extra on film sets throughout Arizona and New Mexico. Paired with his passion for sharing his heritage, Steven uses filmmaking to create opportunities for fair representation of the Navajo Nation in art and media. His goal is to share the stories and the history of Native Americans that Hollywood has often overlooked. Steven also hopes to create films with messages and characters that younger generations can identify with, films that he hopes will make his younger self proud. Steven has been honored to be part of the Native American Media Alliance Writer's Seminar which helped him refine his screen writing skills. He has also participated as a key presenter in the Indigenous Film Summit and also was a judge at the Santa Fe Film Festival and the Alter Native Film festival. He has worked with HBO and PBS. He is now finishing up a found footage horror film called Skinwalker Cave.
Media Contact: Patricia Gomes, Executive Director [email protected]
About the Native American Media Alliance The Native American Media Alliance provides multi-faceted educational programs for studios, networks, production companies, talent agencies and unions, working in the Native American space, to promote an authentic voice in film, television and new media.